


Revenant Watcher

by Ragzarken



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Revenant dragons, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ragzarken/pseuds/Ragzarken
Summary: Even in death, the First King of Askr continues to watch over his descendants. Turns out he is a sucker when it comes to children.- PRE CHAPTER 8 OF BOOK 3 -





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, this is my first fan fic I am writting. Second, I don't play Fire Emblem Heroes, but I played several games of the series, of course, just... I don't play Heroes. Fate/Grand Order is game with a gacha salty enough for me to take, but I miiiiiight make a consideration in the future if they decide to add Stefan.
> 
> The first time I saw Líf I was so fixed and shocked on how different his design was overall from others fire emblem characters in general. The mask and the ectoplasm (for me that glowing thing is ectoplasm) revealing his skeleton caught me off guard. That doesn't mean I didn't like it, I just needed time to process the different design Líf, Thrasir and Hel have.  
> Eventually, they grew on me. It's a very interesting concept and very original. They are not your typical zombies that are just bones with some rotting flesh. That pretty much inspired people to make their own character with those concepts, and it's amazing.
> 
> I usually love edgy characters and as the generic woman I am, you can guess who's my favourite of the spooky skeleton trio.
> 
> While I like romantic stories, I love stories about scary guys having a soft spot for children, showing that they are not so hardcore as they appear to be (Helbindi and Ylgr, anyone?)  
> Since Líf is related to them, it might be Storge type of love, fondness of familiarity, a parent's love towards their children. In this story Alfosne and Sharena are between six and seven years old. So smol compared to big spooky skeleton Líf!
> 
> Also, since I don't play heroes as I said at the beggining, I have little idea about the story, but I did a research of course. Sadly there wasn't that much as I hoped, so I had to invent some things. You'll see why soon enough. 
> 
>  
> 
> Edit: For those who are wondering, no, Líf doesn't talk at all. Not because he doesn't want to. He can't. You'll see in the last chapter. It's quite creepy if you think too much about it (For example: how the heck did he died to end up having a weird rib cage)
> 
> Remember that Alfonse and Sharena's parents are younger, which is why Gustav is not very serious than he is currently in book 3, and is in good terms with his son.
> 
> This story is going to be with an ending that isn't going to lead exactly to the current Fire Emblem Heroes. You will see.
> 
> Also, English is not my main language, so if you find some misspelling, bad grammar or weird way to express something, I am sorry in advance.

Henriette always told stories about ghosts to her young children. Naturally, Alfonse and Sharena would hate the idea of going near a graveyard, even staying up late at night.  
It was then when one day they were going with their parents to the royal family tomb to pay their respect to their ancestors. With some servants to help them carry the flowers, they walked through the corridor towards a dead end. There, marks that resembled the emblem of Askr decorated the wall. Gustav placed his hand on the centre and they began to shine. Slowly, a door began to open, sliding itself upwards. At first the new corridor was heavily obscured, but Alphonse and Sharena could see that it led downstairs, making them even more scared. However, it was soon illuminated by more shining marks that adorned the corridor. Even if it relieved them a little bit, still, they were very wary.  
Before going down the stairs, the servants handed the family the flowers and took their leave. It was Alfonse and Sharena’s first time going to the royal family tomb. Even with their parents and the light guiding them, the children shuddered a little.

“Now, now. There is no need to be so tense you two! There are no ghost here. If there are, Gustav and I will protect you, got it?” Said Henriette very cheerfully.

“B-but mother… the stories you told us…“ Said Alfonse.

“Oh, they are not real! Well, I will not deny that ghosts are indeed real.”

“Henriette, please, stop scaring the children.”

“I’m sorry, darling. It’s just they are so cute when they are scared!”

Alfonse and Sharena let out a small grumble, only to be answered by Henriette chuckle.  
The royal family tomb wasn’t very deep down. Probably it was that way so eventually they could keep digging in order to add more room for the tombs. The room quickly became illuminated by the markings. It was a dim light since the size was considerable and for the children's perspective, it was pretty vast. As they took a step into the room, soon a light on the ground began to shine too, revealing a path towards each tomb.  
Henriette and Gustav went towards a specific tombs. The king put some flowers and with her wife said some prayers. Alfonse and Sharena look at the tomb curiously. Once they were done, Sharena asked.

“Mother, who’s resting here?”

“The previous king and queen, my dear. That’s why we came here first. Now, you two don’t need to do this. You can leave the flowers on the tombs. Gustav and I will do the rest, all right? Just be respectful and be careful.”

The children nodded and began to leave the flowers to each tomb. It took them some minutes.  
They ended up on the other side of the room, where Alfonse and Sharena met each other as they finished leaving the flowers. When they were about to go with their parents, they saw some unlit marks on the wall, they were slightly similar than those of the entrance. The children wondered if they could do the same as Gustav did before and both put their hands on the wall. Unsurprisingly, it did work. The marks began to shine, and the wall moved upwards, revealing a new corridor that soon became illuminated in the same way. At first the siblings didn’t want to go in there for two obvious reasons. One is that they probably would get scolded. And second, they would have to go on their own, and that idea made them scared. However, they saw something that caught their attention. A pair of ethereal blue flames dancing in the middle of the corridor made Alfonse and Sharena approach to it out of curiosity, as they found it pretty. But as they came close to the dancing flames they moves further, leading the children towards a new room. It was different from the other. It was closer to a chamber, with pillars on the sides. The siblings observed in awe the columns, who had drawings of a dragon, painted in white and gold. At the end of the room, they saw a big painting of the same dragon and by its side, a man kneeling before the creature.  
Alfonse and Sharena were so fixed in the painting that they completely ignored the tomb in front of it. It was then when they realized that there was a tall figure standing in front of it, surrounded by several blue flames, dancing around it. The only thing that they could see was that it was wearing a cape made of fur and had dark blue hair. The figure turned around and the sense of dread quick took over the children. It was a man, wearing black armour with purple details, his right shoulder was covered by a dragons’s skull and half of his face covered by a mask that resembled a dragon’s mouth, but that wasn’t the scariest part. His chest was exposed, showing that he didn’t have skin or even flesh at all, instead there was a translucent light blue substance that seemed to be very solid. His ribcage was visible and it didn't look of how it was supposed to be, it was wide open as it lacked the sternum and his ribs were way too spiky compared to a normal one. The translucent substance was shiny, as the man slightly illuminated his surroundings. It also came from his mouth-shaped mask and his right arm, only visible by the eye sockets and nasal aperture of the dragon skull.  
The sight of this being made the children scream and cry in terror and he slowly started to walk towards them. They were petrified, but Alfonse slowly began to move in front of Sharena and extended his arms, while shaking terribly.

“G-g-get away, y-you monster!” Alfonse screamed.

The man did not answer nor did he back down. He kept walking until he was in front of them and kneeled to have a better sight of the child. Every time he exhaled he left out a low groan and blue fire overflowed from his mouth, which made Alfonse even more terrified. The man placed his hand on the prince’s cheek and with his thumb he carefully cleaned his tear. This made him confused about his actions and tried to look at the man better. However, he stood up and backed off with a single jump.

“Stay away from them!” Screamed an angry Gustav.

Alfonse didn’t know when his father entered the room, the next thing he knew Gustav charged towards the man and Henriette had him and Sharena between her arms. The king attacked several times against the unwelcome presence, but he didn’t retaliate in any way despite having a weapon. The man’s eyes did not show hostility at all, nor did it seem that he would attack at any time. This made Gustav stop his attacks and took distance.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Asked the king.

There was no answer. Instead the man gazed at the family. Then, the dancing blue flames went on him, setting him on fire. He did not seem to be hurt at all. He slowly disappeared, as if he was becoming one with the flames and in a matter of seconds, he was completely gone.

“What was that…?” Wondered Gustav.

“Are you ok, you two?” Asked Henriette. The children did not answer at all. They just kept crying in their mother’s embrace. “It’s okay, it’s okay, we are here. Everything is going to be ok now.” Said while she caressed their heads. “Darling, that man…” She then changed the subject.

“I know. There is no way that man could be…”

The man had an uncanny resemblance of Alfonse and Gustav and he was aware of that. Judging by the looks and he was specifically in the room dedicated to the First King and progenitor of the Askr royal family, there was no way the man was Líf himself. Or so Gustav and Henriette thought so. Given his appearance, he didn’t seem very alive and his unwillingness to fight the current king further supported their theories.  
For now they decided to put aside those thoughts for now, as they needed to calm down their children.

“Alfonse, Sharena, are you both alright? What happened?”

“I… I…” The prince tried to structure his words. “I’m sorry, father…”

“Don’t be sorry, son. I am not angry.”

“Alfonse and I saw some marking that were not shining… and we wondered if we could do the same you did and…” Said Sharena.

“Ah… I see, curiosity. You two must have been so scared.” Said Henriette.

“Henriette.” Said Gustav with an almost imperative tone. “No more ghost stories to the children, for now.”

“Ah… if this didn’t happened, I would have teased you. Now it’s not time for jokes…”

Before leaving the royal family tomb, they left some flowers on the First King’s. Perhaps that would make him happy if that man was really him. And if he was, they hoped that he wouldn’t return to scare the children.

That day Gustav decided to give Alfonse and Sharena a free day, since they were still scared about what happened on the royal family tomb. However, their training would continue the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read how medieval royalty lived. And I found one interesting fact dad honestly I did not expect: "If the oldest prince died the line of succession would be passed to his first son if he had one". Only the next oldest king’s son would inherit the throne if the oldest prince dead and had no sons.  
> Changing the subject a little bit, yes. Princes were trained at a very young age how to wield a weapon, how to ride a horse and many other things.

Only Alfonse was the one who began the training the last year at first, as he was the future king. Some of the activities included various martial arts and outdoor activities such as horse riding, hunting, and others, as well as manners and customs of being a royal person. Meanwhile Sharena was being educated for public affairs, politics, and history.

However, the princess didn’t like it, she wanted to be trained the same way as Alfonse. And she got what she wanted after insisting too much. Ironically, her brother was the one interested particularly in history. And that didn’t bother their parents, it was good to have a future kings with knowledge about the history of their kingdom.

 

The day after the little incident in the royal family tomb, Alfonse and Sharena continued with their training.

This day was horse riding practice. The children had younger horses, so they would have less problem climbing them, which in time they would become their most trusted steeds. This discipline was needed from them so one day they would go on hunting with their parents. The training place was on the plains that were located past a small forest. Said place was also ideal for future hunting training.

Both had good control with their horses. Even they started mounted battle a little bit. They were clumsy at first, since attacking while maintaining your posture while riding wasn’t very simple. And since it was their first time doing this, Gustav and his knights observed happily how Alfonse and Sharena traded blows. However, the children’s horses became very nervous. Then, the king and the knight’s horses followed. All of them were able to calm them down and then they unsheathed their weapons, while Gustav ordered Alfonse and Sharena to sheathe theirs. After some minutes nothing happened. But the king decided to end the training there and headed towards the capital.

 

In the forest they were ambushed by yet unseen forces, as they were using the trees to hide. Gustav expected this and ordered to keep going, so they could fight on an opened area. He also ordered a pair of knights to escort Alfonse and Sharena to safety. However, once they were out, the enemy surprised the king. They were soldiers from their ally kingdom, Embla. Or they were, as the emblian soldiers were now attacking them.

They were outnumbered, but Gustav still charged with his knights towards the emblian soldiers to gain time for Alfonse, Sharena and their escorts to escape. Once they were far enough, the rest would retreat too. The battle lasted almost a minute and because all of them were concentrated in the battle, none of them saw a third party coming that consisted in a single person. It was the same man who appeared in the tomb of the royal family, riding a black armoured horse with the same traits as its rider. Translucent solid blue ectoplasm replacing its skin and flesh and its bones were visible. He unsheathed his weapon, a short sword that was quickly surrounded by purple energy, making it look bigger, and charged in. His presence made the horses upset and the ghostly rider took the opportunity to take down some emblian soldiers with a single strike.

Seeing this made calmed Gustav a little bit. There were no doubts. That man was certainly the First King Líf. And he suspected that the blue flames dancing around him had to be the souls of the previous rulers. They were far from being harmless, however. They protected the First King from arrows by intercepting them, burning them and turning them to ashes instantly. And it was not only him they protected, they also burned down arrows that were intended to Gustav and his knights. They also flew around their enemies to disrupt their focus, so it would be easier to hit them and take them down.

It was only a matter of seconds to outnumber the enemy. But Líf suddenly switched his sight and looked towards the direction the king’s children and their escorts headed, his crimson eyes began to shine and the souls of the previous rulers quickly returned to him. The progenitor rushed towards them. Gustav trusted that he went to protect his children, and with his knights he stayed to finish off the remaining enemies.

Meanwhile, Alfonse, Sharena and his escorts were about to cross a stone bridge. An arrow hit the princess’s horse’s leg and fell down, making her fall to the river under the bridge. She was quickly being dragged by the stream.

 

“Sharena!” Screamed Alfonse as he began to ride towards the riverbank without thinking.

 

His escorts followed behind him with their weapons ready. On the other side of the river there were a pair of enemies with their bows ready to shot Sharena. The knights didn’t have ranged weapon to intercept them and watched in panic, unable to do anything. When the emblian archers let go their arrows, blue flames burned them before they could hit Sharena. Alfonse recognized them and he became nervous. Behind their enemies there was Líf reaching them slowly with his weapon ready. His skeletal steed let out a raspy low pitched neigh that upset the enemies’ horses and he quickly cut them down.

The First King sheathed his weapon and began to go faster, trying to outrun Sharena. As he did, he prepared himself to jump after her. And when he did, he quickly caught the princess. She wasn’t sure what to think, she was being dragged by the river and being rescued by a very scary looking man; both things were uncomfortable to her.

Líf had to have a tight grip on her as he knew she didn’t trust him at all. He tried to swim to safety but it was difficult with a single arm. Eventually they fell by the waterfall. Alfonse and the knights screamed for the princess in terror. The prince was reckless enough make a jump, but he was quickly stopped by his escorts.

 

“No, prince Alfonse!” Said one of the knights.

 

“But Sharena…!” Answered the prince distressed, with watery eyes.

 

“We know how you feel, prince. But your majesty can’t afford to lose you too.”

 

Alfonse pressed his fist with anguish.

Líf’s horse let out another neigh and jumped over the river, then he walked towards Alfonse and stayed by his side. The three weren’t sure what to do with the ghostly steed. For now, they decided to return to the capital. And they were followed by it.

On the castle Gustav was informed about what happened.

 

“I see… send party to search the area below the cliff.” Said the king with stoicism.

 

The king was calm, however his wife was worried, and Alfonse was crying a little bit.

 

“There is no need to worry. Sharena is fine.”

 

“How can you be so sure, darling?”

 

“If the man that was at the tomb of the royal family was with Sharena before they fell down the waterfall, then she is definitely fine. As long as she stays by his side.”

 

“Wait, you mean he’s indeed…”

 

“Yes… he’s the progenitor. The First King of Askr, Líf. He fought with us against the emblian ambushers and even protected us. The last thing I saw he was heading towards Alfonse and Sharena, and my men and I finished off the rest. If weren’t for him, there would have been casualties.”

 

“The First King… does it mean he’s my grandfather?” Asked Alfonse very curiously.

 

That question really caught Gustav and Henriette off guard. The later chuckle a little bit.

 

“Well… let’s say he is. But not only your grandfather. He’s my grandfather as well.” Answered Gustav a little bit embarrassed. It was easier to explain that way, instead of saying that Líf is actually his great great great great great how knows how many great grandfather.

 

“I want see him again! I want to touch his blue thing!” Said Alfonse.

 

Henriette bear it anymore and started to laugh, then she pressed her son’s cheek.

 

“Oh, my dear boy. So, darling, what do you think? Once Sharena return to us, I am sure they would like to know about their grandfather.”

 

“Haha… I am sure they will.”

 

That little conversation was enough to relieve the situation.

 

“By the way, Alfonse.” Said Henriette. “If you really want to know how it feels to touch granpa’s ectoplasm, why not go to his steed? If he stood by your side until you entered to the capital, I am sure it wouldn’t mind.”

 

“Yes, you are right! I am going!” Said Alfonse very excited.

 

He quickly disappeared from the court.

The people charged in the stables let Líf’s steed to stay. Though he was kept away from the other horses since its presence stress them. The ghostly steed was very docile, something that impressed the keepers.

When Alfonse reached the stables he searched for Líf’s horse. The keepers guided him towards it. Without calling it, the horse went towards Alfonse and it settled down in front of the boy. Given how friendly it was towards him, Alfonse first caressed the armour that protected the skull. It was very could to the touch. He then began to pet the horse’s neck. The ectoplasm was surprisingly soft at the touch, but still cold as the armour that protected it. Alfonse wasn’t sure if the steed could feel at all, as it lacked skin. But he kept petting it thinking that it could feel.

They stayed together for some minutes, but Alfonse had to go and the horse knew. It stood up and returned to his place. The prince was a little bit sad to leave him all alone, but he promised that he would be back.


	3. Chapter 3

Líf was was quick to maneuver to fall on his back, with Sharena on top of him. She was lucky to have the first king to cushion the fall, since most don’t survive. He didn’t feel anything, he couldn’t.  And the king took advantage of that.

The waters were much calmer, so it was easy for Líf to get to the ground. He quickly sent his wisps the scout the area. He wasn’t sure if let go Sharena, he thought she would try to run away from him. He let her go anyways. The princess didn’t run, but she clearly was uncomfortable as she took his distance from him. When the wisps returned the king he began to move, close to the wall. It was the best since no one could attacked them from that side, let alone from above. Sharena wasn’t sure if follow him. After a few steps Líf turned his head and looked at her, as if he was trying to tell her to follow him. He continued to move on as soon as she began to follow him, keeping her distance.

After a few minutes of walking close to the wall, the first king realized how inconsiderate he was. His undead state made him forget about the cold, the warm, the pain, and many other physical feelings. When he turned his head to look at Sharena, she was shaking. It was natural. The water was cold and her clothes were wet, which meant that if he didn’t do anything about it, eventually she would catch a cold. And he couldn’t lend her his cloak, since it was wet too. The best thing he could do was to send his wisps to Sharena so they could provide her warm and help to dry her clothes. At first she was wary about them, but then she calmed down.

They walked for an hour, until Sharena got tired of walking. Líf wasn’t aware of that until one of the wisps had to go to him and tell him about her status. The king spent a lot of time alone and among the dead that he forgot the limits of the living, and their needs: he heard the princess’s stomach growl. He stopped and began to collect branches and set a bonfire with a single breath. Then he went to hunt something and left Sharena alone with some of the wisps. She sat in front of the bonfire and looked at the fire with an unfamiliar colour. The blue-white flames almost looked ethereal, which tempted her to touch it, but since it was warm she knew it was a bad idea. It didn’t take long for the king to return with a dead raccoon, which was more than enough for a small girl. At first Sharena hesitated to eat the animal, since well… she was royalty. She was used to luxury, but the most important thing is that she always had a dish prepared, rather than a dead animal. Líf didn’t force her nor did anything to encourage her to eat, he just sat next to her and waited. Eventually the hunger won and began to eat the roasted raccoon. It had a fairly strong taste, it’s wasn’t unpleasant but at times it was a little bit overpowering. After eating she stayed on her place, even with a full stomach, she was tired. She had a rough day after all. If it wasn’t enough, when Líf looked up, low thunder roared. Knowing this, he got up and extinguished the bonfire by stomping it. When he began to move again, Sharena followed him. Once again, he sent his wisps to search for an area to cover them from the incoming rain. After a few minutes, they returned and informed him about a cliff cave located nearby. After they got in, it started to rain.

They spent all the afternoon inside the cave. Naturally, Sharena got bored. Stuck in a cave with a scary man, unable to do something to entertain herself. Líf let out a low growl and a small amount of blue flame come from his mouth. The wisps began to dance around him, taking different forms. She was almost enthralled by it, as the wisps seemed to be telling histories with their performance; the Divine Dragon Askr blessing the First King, the battles he fought, his alliance with Embla, and much more to entertain the princess.

When the sun set, Sharena tried to sleep, but again she was used to luxury, she never slept on the ground. Knowing this, Líf picked her, placing her between his legs. Then, he took off his cloak and covered her. While Sharena already began to trust him, she didn’t except that from him. She didn't mind at all that gesture and, in fact, she felt secure in his hands and fell asleep rather quickly. It rained all the night too, but that wouldn’t last for long.

As soon as the sun began to rise the princess woke up. It wasn’t raining anymore and, after some stretches, she was ready to go. Líf was surprised for her to get comfortable around him quickly, or perhaps she was a morning person. He didn’t get his cloak back, however. Sharena quickly put it on. He couldn’t blame her, even if he couldn’t feel at all, he knew that probably was soft and fluffy enough for her to keep it.

 

Meanwhile in the castle, Alfonse went to visit the first king’s steed. It seemed happy to see him. After a few minutes of cuddles, the horse encouraged the prince to climb, pushing him gently with his head. The prince couldn’t help but to compel the horse’s wishes. He climbed on the saddle and when he took the reins, the horse got up and started to gallop rather quickly, moving Alfonse away from the capital. The prince panicked a little bit and even if he tried to stop it, the creature wouldn’t obey him and he wouldn’t dare to just jump off. On his way a member of the rescue party saw him.

 

“Wait… is that prince Alfonse? What is he doing?!” Said the knight.

 

Worried and confused to see the prince alone, he began to follow him.

The first king’s steed went right on the spot where its previous rider and Sharena fell.

 

“Prince Alfonse, what are you doing?! You know you cannot leave the capital after the ambush from Embla!” Scolded the knight.

 

“I-I’m sorry. Is just… when I went to visit him, he insisted for me to ride him. Then, he began to run of its own.” Said Alfonse. “But... I recognize this place. This is where Sharena and grandpa fell.”

 

“Grandpa?” Asked the knights confused.

 

“Grandpa. You know, the first king. This is his horse. You think he knows where he is?”

 

The knight didn’t say anything. He seemed shocked. Probably was because of how Alfonse called him grandpa very casually. Then then first king’s steed it started to skirt over the cliff and the knight followed. They understood a little bit what the horse was trying to do, so they started to look down.

The only thing they could see was green. Green everywhere. But they could see the ground close to the wall. What where the odds to find Sharena right there? The undead beast kept galloping to a reasonable speed for the prince to have a good look down. As if the Divine Dragon Askr heard their pleas, after several minutes they managed to see something and the beast knew. Down the cliff they saw a little yellow and blue point. That could only belong to Sharena and the first king’s hair.

 

“Sharena! Is that you?!” Alfonse yelled. When he saw that they stopped, he continued. “Up Here!”

 

Soon, they got answered with the voice that he expected. “Alfonse?! Is that you?! Get me out of here!”

 

“But how are we going to do that?” Said the knight.

 

Clearly Sharena did not think of that. But the first king did. He stood in front of the princess and bend over. The princess looked at him confused for a moment. Then Líf made gesture with his hands.

 

“You want me… to climb you?” Asked Sharena.

 

The first king did not answer, as always. He just waited. She had no choice. Sharena approached him. She warped her arms around his neck, her legs around his chest and rested her body on his back. Then, Líf stood up and looked up. The princess wasn’t sure was he was trying to do, until he began to sink his claws-shaped gauntlets on the wall. It was solid enough not to tear off a piece of the wall. So, he prepared himself and crouched again.

 

“Are you going to climb all the way to the to–  **AHHHHHHHHHHH!** ” Sharena got interrupted in the middle of her question when Líf climbed a monstrous distance with a single jump. “W-what are you doing?! I am going to die! I am going to die!” Screamed the princess.

 

“ _Woah… grandpa is amazing. I bet father won’t believe me if I tell him about this._ ” Though Alfonse when he saw the first king’s jump.

 

“H-how is that even possible? Is this really the First King Líf that King Gustav talked about?” Said the knight, unable to believe his eyes.

 

Líf began to climb, taking advantage on his claws-shaped gauntlets to have a firm grip on the wall. Sharena’s fear made her tighten her hold on the king. If was a living person, she probably would be choking it, but Líf had a segmented armour that protected his neck. And even if he didn’t have it, probably it wouldn’t mattered.

It took some minutes for the king to reach the top. When Alfonse saw the wisps rising from the cliff, followed by Líf’s hands, they quickly went to help him, dragging him to safety. When Sharena got off the king, the siblings hug each other.

 

“Hey, Sharena, did you know? We now have a grandpa!” Said Alfonse very happy.

 

“No way, really?! Where is he?!” Asked Sharena really excited.

 

Alfonse looked at Líf. When Sharena turned her head on him, she was rather confused, but happy nonetheless.

 

“The First King Líf is our grandpa. And father’s grandpa too.”

 

It was hard to tell if Líf was embarrassed because of his mask. But since he shrugged, he probably was.

 

“Princess Sharena… what a relief! You have our deepest gratitude, First King!” Said the knight bowing before him.

 

The first king simply nodded. Then he climbed his loyal steed and Alfonse and Sharena insisted to climb up as well. Seeing this, the horse bent down and Líf picked them up, placing them in front of him.

They went back on a rather slow pace. At one point, the wisps suddendly went to a particular point, circling around it. When the king and the knight headed towards it, they saw an unconscious person lying on the ground. It was a dark skinned young boy with platinum hair, but seemed to be some years older than Alfonse and Sharena.

 

“He’s hurt.” Said the prince. “We can’t leave him like this. Can we take him with us?”

 

“Well, I don’t see any harm.”

 

The knight got off his horse and picked up the boy, placing him in front of the saddle. Once done, they kept going. Líf kept looking at the boy and the king’s children knew. They wondered if he was worried about him or if he suspected him, since his eyes were a little bit intense.

When they reached the gates of the capital, Líf stopped.

 

“What’s wrong, grandpa?” Asked Alfonse.

 

The undead horse bend down and the first king picked the children, placed them on the ground, then, his steed stood up.

 

“You are not coming with us? Asked Sharena. When Líf shook his head, then she took her cloak and handled it to his original owner. “Then I should give it back. It yours, after all.” The first king shook his head again and handled his cloak back to the princess. “W-wait, are you sure?” Then, he nodded with his head. “Well… thanks. If very soft a fluffy, you know.”

 

Líf didn’t answer with a body gesture. His steed slowly began to move away from the capital.

 

“I wanted him to come with us.” Said Sharena a little bit disappointed.

 

“Even if some of us know who he is, the folk don’t. His presence would have made them very nervous.” Said the knight, who was carrying the young boy.

 

“You think we would see him again?” Asked Alfonse.

 

“He seems to appear whenever the royal family is. So, I’m sure you will.”

 

The king’s children smiled and entered the capital together with the knight. At first he was going to leave the boy at the temple of the Divine Dragon Askr, where the wounded are attended, but Alfonse and Sharena insisted to take him to the castle. Unable to deny their wishes, the knight agreed.

 

After hearing of what happened, Gustan didn’t scold Alfonse for that, as there was no way of knowing of what Líf’s steed could do. As before, the most important thing is that he and Sharena returned safe and sound. Then they headed towards the visitors room, where the boy was resting. His wounds weren’t too deep, so the treatment was fast. When he woke up, they were amazed by his red eyes.

 

“Ugh… W-here am I?” Said the boy.

 

“Oh, you are awake! You are in our home. Who are you?” Said Sharena.

 

“Me? I... Im… Zacharias.”

 

“Zacharias? That’s a nice name.” Said Alfonse. “What you were doing out there alone? You were wounded.”

 

“I… I was running away from home.”

 

“You were running away from your home? Why?”

 

“They didn’t like my mother so they killed her… and then they tried to kill me. So I run. I didn’t even know what to do after I escaped...”

 

“That’s awful! Why your family would do that?” Said an angry Sharena.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know…” Said Zacharias on verge of tears.

 

“Don’t be sad. You are with us now! You can even live with us!” Said Alfonse.

 

“R-really? I can?

 

“Yes! I am going to tell father!”

 

The prince ran off the room to tell Gustav. At first the king was hesitant, but Alfosne and Sharena didn’t have any friend given his status as royalty, so in the end he agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

Zacharias was welcomed with open arms by the royal family. However no one knew his true identity as Prince Bruno of the Emblian Empire, who recently broke their alliance with Askr by ambushing their king and his children when they were training. His mother was suspected of being a spy and killer her, forcing the prince to escape. Without knowing where to go, he wandered aimlessly until he passed out.

Líf knew, however, as he could sense Thrasir’s descendants and vice versa, and he also knew about the curse that plagued the family for generations. It’s not that he despised him or anything, the curse just made him wary of the prince, especially after Gustav took him under his wing.

 

Given the current situation between the two realms, Alfonse and Sharena could only train in the capital, in the castle. And even if today they had history class, they decided to train before they could get started. At first Zacharias was reluctant to join them, since it didn’t concerned him at all, especially when he learned that they were royalty. But Alfonse and Sharena insisted. When he went to grab a weapon, he took a lance, something that made them curious. Once they began to spare together, they were impressed by his skill, even if he was a clumsy given the weapon’s size.

 

“Woah, you are good with the lance.” Said the prince.

 

“Thank you. When I was home I used to grab some big sticks and practice with it. It’s difficult to use a real one.”

 

“Well, that’s because is too big for us to use. That’s why father said that we should start practicing with swords.”

 

“But can’t they just make a smaller lance?”

 

“Of course they can! I am going to tell father, I want to learn how to use a lance too, so you’ll teach me, okay?” Said Sharena before running away.

 

“…She’s very energetic. I envy her a little.” Said Zacharias as he saw her going.

 

“She is always like this. But she seems happier, now that she knows that we have a grandpa.”

 

“You have a grandfather? But how is your father the king, then?”

 

“Well… he’s very old, but he doesn’t look like a grandpa, but he is anyways.”

 

“I… I see?” Said Zachariah very confused, unable to process Alfonse’s words.

 

“Father said that he is the First King of Askr, but he doesn’t seem very old at all. He looks scary, but he’s very nice with us.”

 

“The First King? That’s… amazing.”

 

“I know, right? He’s the one who saved you. Well, the small blue fireballs that are always with him found you. On our way back he seemed really concerned about you. He never stopped looking at you.”

 

“Really? Well… if he appears again, I have to make sure to thank him.”

 

“One of the knights said that he seems to appear whenever the royal family is around, so probably we’ll see him soon.”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see that you are alright, even if I you can’t see half of his face…”

 

Zacharias nodded and took a sword. They continued sparring together until Sharena returned. Their lances made for their size was going to be ready in a few days. Even then, she really wanted to learn how to use lances right know, so Zacharias began to teach her what he knew about wielding lances. He made good excuses to justify his knowledge, he couldn’t let them know his true identity. If that was revealed, it certainly would get him killed. He didn’t want to betray their kindness, but he had the kept his secrets.

Despite both realms being at war, they barely were being attacked, something that bothered Gustav. He feared that the small peace would make him let his guard down. But when he received the reports, apparently they found the corpses of emblian scouts and a man wearing black amour riding a horse with translucent blue skin that made its skeleton visible wandering around said corpses. This relieved the king a little bit, that didn’t mean that he could sit down and do nothing. After all, no kingdom, nay, nobody should depend on the power of a single person. It just would make the rest lazy and weak.

 

The king’s children and Zacharias continued to spar for almost an hour before history class. But they decided to take a break before that. Once again, he thought it was the best to leave them alone on their history class, since it was reserved for royalty, but they insisted for him to join them anyways. They just didn’t like the idea of leave him alone because of “royal activities” and in the end, the three enjoyed the class. Once finished, they went to the courtyard to relax.

Alfonse and Sharena learned more about their “grandfather” and Zacharias learned about his savior and temporal enemy of his homeland. Though he wasn’t sure if call him an enemy. That would mean that his new friends and the family who adopted him would be enemies too. He even wasn’t sure how to feel at the moment. Sure, he was happy because he managed to survive and was welcomed with open arms. But at the same time they were his homeland’s enemies. And he felt terribly about lying about his true identity. His mind was turmoil and Alfonse and Sharena clearly noted that.

 

“Zacharias, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Asked Sharena looking at him.

 

“I’m okay, I just… well if I’m being honest, I'm still overwhelmed about what happened. I know that I’m with you now and I have a new family, but it won’t leave my mind.”

 

“It must have been rough.” Said Alfonse.

 

“It was… I’ll be okay. I just need time.”

 

Sharena changed the subject to avoid make him sad or anything. “Look! This is our favorite part of the day. Watching the sunset.”

 

The three quietly watched how the day ended. Even if they couldn’t leave the capital to enjoy the environment, at least they could appreciate it from afar. And apparently Líf did too. They didn’t know he was behind them until they began to hear his low growls he makes every time he exhales and his wisps dancing around them, giving the small trio a jumpscare when they turned around. He wasn’t even looking at them. Probably he was teasing them. And Sharena scolded him.

 

“Grandpa! Don’t you dare ever doing that again! You scared us.”

 

As always, Líf didn’t answer with words. He bent down and let out a big puff of blue fire on her face. Despite this, it didn’t harm her at all. Ironically, it was rather cold, and made the princess sneeze.

 

“Hey, don’t do that!” Said Sharena scratching her nose.

 

Zacharias looked at the first king in awe. Alfonse wasn’t joking when he said he looked scary. And it was hard to believe that he was rather kind to those he cares about if he didn’t see it with his own eyes. He can’t even imagine him being worrying about him or even rescuing him. Regardless, that doesn’t change the fact that he did, and he had to thank him for that.

 

“I am…” He said, trying to structure his words. “I am thankful for what you did to me. You know, for saving me…”

 

When a simple nod was expected, instead, he patted on his head, a gesture that none of the three would have guessed. Zacharias wondered what he was thinking. He learned that he and the First Empress of Embla, Thrasir, were allies during their lifetime. If she was “alive” too, would she be under Líf’s conditions too? How she would look like? Would she look scary as the First King of Askr? Would her skeleton be visible? Would she be wearing a scary mask? Zacharias wondered. And Líf also wondered what to do with Zacharias. He couldn’t kill him, but if he ignored him, then the curse could put Alfonse and Sharena in danger, and potentially, the king and the queen too. He couldn’t blame the boy for that, he didn’t do anything to deserve everything that happened to him, and its almost possible that he was not aware of the curse that plagues his family. He sat on the ground and thought about his possibilities, ignoring the children completely. They, on the other hand, looked at him curiously and sat in front him too. In their eyes, Líf looked he was in trance, or someone who didn’t sleep for a long time, since his eye bags were clearly visible. The later was the most possible, since probably he really didn’t sleep for a long time. And he didn’t need to. Alfonse even waved his hand in front of him. No response. Then, he took the opportunity to do what he wanted to do the most: touch his ectoplasm. And he did. It wasn’t different from his steed, it was cold and soft. Sharena and Zacharias touched him too out of curiosity.

 

“I find it hard to believe that the First King would allow that…” Said Gustav, looking the four from the window of his room.

 

“You expected him to be more dignified with the children?” Said Henriette, joining him with the view she found adorable.

 

“Well, he was in the brief time I saw him.”

 

“Anyone has a soft spot, darling. And it seems the First King has one for children.” Henriette said, while giving her husband a small smack on his shoulder, as a way of teasing.

 

“I wouldn’t believe that, since Alfonse and Sharena share his blood. But well, now that Zacharias is with us…”

 

“It’s rather nice to see a cute side of him. History doesn’t mention any of this after all. We have the privilege to witness it.”

 

“Heh, I suppose you are right.”

 

When Líf finally saw the children, he let out another big puff of blue, cold fire on their faces, making them sneeze. Despite his scary looks, he sure likes to tease them now that they are confident with him.

 

It was already dark and it was getting cold outside, so the first king got up and looked at the entrance of the castle and then looked at the children. It was his way of saying that it was time for them to go inside. And somehow they understood him. Once they were inside, Líf began to disappear within the blue flames alongside his wisps. They wondered if he could teleport alongside someone, but that did not seem possible. Otherwise, he could have get Sharena back at the capital in a blink of an eye. The truth was that he could only do that on himself and only within the capital, since it was essentially his main domain.

It was another rough day for the children, especially Zacharias, whose mind made it even tougher. So, they couldn’t wait to sleep. The previous say the guards caught Alfonse and Sharena trying to move a bed to their room. They didn’t want Zacharias to sleep alone in the guest room. So, they ended up moving the bed so the three could sleep together. Sharena had the privilege to have Lif’s cloak as a blanket.

In the midnight, as they were asleep, Alfonse saw a blue light, even with his eyes closed and then he felt some drops falling on his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, he saw a hooded figure with a sword impaling his neck. It was then tossed around like a ragdoll, revealing that Líf killed the intruder before he could take the prince’s life. Alfonse let out a scream that woke both Zacharias and Sharena, and they screamed too when they saw the corpse. The commotion caused Gustav and Henriette to wake up. On their way to the children’s room, some guards were heading that way too. When the door was opened, they saw the first king with holding his bloodied weapon standing next to Alfonse, who was in shock, and the intruder’s corpse. They identified the uniform, it was an assassin from Embla. Everyone began to wonder how he managed to infiltrate the capital, let alone in the castle. However, this event stressed Zacharias the most and the curse was triggered when he saw the blood and the dagger.

 

“ _Kill them… Kill them all, Bruno._ ” An otherworldly voice resonated within Zacharias’s head.

 

The boy didn’t answer nor did he obey the voice. Líf knew that the curse was triggered and stared at him.

 

“ _Look. The First King of Askr knows your true identity. Kill them all before he kills you!”_

“ _Who are you?! Get out of my head!_ ” Though the boy.

 

“ _Use your head, boy. You are in the enemy’s territory, one of them knows who you truly are. Take your chance and kill them all. I will grant you my power.”_

“No… no! Stop! I won’t kill them! Get out of my head!” Zacharias screamed.

 

He covered his ears and began to shake his head, hoping to drive away the voice, but it was futile. The voice didn’t stop to tell him to kill them. He began tremble in stress.

 

“Are you okay, Zacharias? This stressed you out, didn’t you?” Said Henriette while approaching him.

 

“N-no! Don’t come closer!”

 

At first the queen didn’t pay attention, but when Zacharias began to release a purple aura, she was stopped by Líf, who in turn breathed blue fire towards the boy. Everyone gasped in terror, but when they saw that the fire dispelled the purple aura that surrounded Zacharias, they calmed down.

 

“What in the name of Askr was that?” Said Gustav in complete confusion.

 

Everyone stood in silence. Henriette did what a mother had to do with a stressed child, since there was no danger for now, she embraced Zacharias, who was crying and still shaking. It took several minutes for him to finally calm down.

Before leaving the room, they cleaned to blood and took the body. However, they didn’t left the children alone. This time, they decided to add three guard to keep an eye on the room and the kids, even in Líf decided to stay with them too. And because there was an attempt of Alfonse’s life, they couldn’t ignore the fact they would after Gustav and Henriette too, so three guards were added to their room too.

Líf was running out of time. The curse already awakened on Zacharias, and the continued attempts on the royal family’s life. He had to make some drastic decisions before it was too late.


	5. Chapter 5

Zacharias was even more stressed the next day. Líf may have save him from the voice, but he feared that it may return again at any time.

He didn’t eat breakfast. And he didn’t want to train alongside Alfonse and Sharena. He simply watched from afar, sitting while hugging his legs. Zacharias grew anxious without Líf around to save him from the voice, even if he knew he would appear when something threatened the royal family’s life.

 

Then, the voice returned. This time it sounded more imperative, demanding. It began to give Zacharias a strong headache, which made easier to control him. The purple aura returned and took control over his body. He took a sword charged against Sharena. The attack missed by an inch thanks to Alfonse who redirected it away from her sister. Then, Zacharias began to attack the prince viciously. He managed to attack and dodge some attack and some managed to scratch him a little.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! My body move of its own, I can’t stop! Just run away, stay away from me!”

 

When the guards saw what’s happening, they quickly ran towards them with their weapons unsheathed. It wasn’t their intention to kill him, but they needed to defend themselves from his attacks. However, a blue flame appeared behind the possessed boy and Líf manifested himself. He breathe his blue flames, releasing Zacharias again. However, he covered his ears and fell to his knees, trembling in fear.

 

“I–I hear sounds… bell sounds… They… they are coming! Run… RUN!”

 

The guards looked at each other, unable to understand Zacharias’s words. Alfonse and Sharena, however, were worried about their friend and approached him, trying to calm him down. Líf, on the other hand, looked very upset as he began to release bigger puffs of blue flames every time he exhaled, looking at all sides and then ordered his wisps to surround the children. The guards didn’t understand what’s happening, but they knew they had to be at the children’s side to protect them.

Numerous spectral skeletons of purple aura began to appear from all sides. They lacked leg bones, but they didn’t need them, as they had the freedom to fly whenever they wanted, and they began to charge towards the children. Normal weapons didn’t affect them. It was only natural. The living couldn’t interact properly with these beings, but luckily Líf did. However, this time he didn’t use his sword. He began to breathe blue fire towards them, extinguishing them with a single touch. However, they just kept coming and there were too many of them to be handled by a single person. Eventually they managed to get the children, stripping them from their souls and then disappeared.

The guard quickly fell to their knees, unable to believe their eyes. They began to call for their names. However, for Líf there wasn’t time for mourning. He quickly turned into flames a reappeared at the gates of the capital, where his loyal steed was waiting for him. He climbed it with a single jump and quickly headed towards west. He knew he would find the skeleton specters on the way. This time his horse went way faster than before as it was a dire situation for his master. And luckily he wasn’t alive to feel fatigue, he could gallop at full speed without needing to rest.

Líf sighted the specters, they were fast, but his steed was a little bit faster. When they were at range of his breath, a dark orb impacted on the specters. The explosion was the only thing that stopped the horse.

A woman with the same characteristic as Lif’s appeared and he recognized her. It was Thrasir, an old ally of him when they were alive and they still are, even in death. She had platinum hair and a mask that goes around her eyes and protruding horns on the top of her head. Her ectoplasm was red, contrasting to Lif’s light blue and her ribcage was one of a proper human, which also contrasted Lif’s abnormal one. She also had black armor that protected her, but her navel and pelvic area were exposed, revealing her pelvic bone.

 

“You didn’t tell me that one of my descendants was in your kingdom.” Said Thrasir, looking at the three wisps shaking in terror. “I’m joking, of course. I know you can’t talk.”

 

Both Líf and his steed calmed down, but the fact that she was here wasn’t a good sign.

 

“I’m sure you know why I am here. Hel discovered your betrayal the moment you breathed your fire on him, dissipating the curse temporally. She sent to me bind you and bring you back to Hel.”

 

She stopped for a second to see if Líf answered with a gesture. And sure he did, he frowned and his red eyes began to shine terribly, as if he was about to attack her.

 

“Oh my, I forgot how scary you are when you are angry. Continuing with our exchange of words, you must know that this was a bait. She sent her specters to lure you away from the capital. She now will kill everyone in there and turn them into revenants to serve her.”

 

Líf’s next stage of anger was to furiously breathe fire to the sky.

 

“I know. I would be angry too, friend. However, spare some of your rage. We have to take her down now. …And you three don’t need to fear. Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. Trust in your ancestors. …Look, Líf. It has already begun.”

 

Both of them looked at capital. It was soon surrounded by a purple aura and then, several wisps began surge from there and were quickly captured by Hel’s specters.

 

“Well, here she comes. Just play it nice, will you?”

 

Black ethereal chains sprouted from the ground, binding Líf and his steed, then a barrier covered his mask, preventing him from breathing fire. Then, Hel appeared next to Thrasir. She was a woman with long, wavy pale hair. The upper part of her face was that of a normal person, but the lower part was ectoplasm, and her lower jaw was visible. She wore dark clothes that covered a good portion of her body, but her cleavage and her back were exposed, revealing her ribcage. She also was wearing a tattered dress that covered her legs almost completely.

She summoned three specters to take the children’s souls to her realm.

 

“I don’t know why you decided to betray me, General Líf. But this is the price. But there is no need for sadness. They soon will join you.”

 

“May be you should deprive him from his emotions, he will be the perfect servant. Don’t you think, Your Majesty?”

 

“You are right. His punishment doesn’t end here, however. You’ll witness how I rise your people into new servants. Today, the capital. Tomorrow, the rest of your beloved kingdom. Now, take us back to the throne room, General Thrasir.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

Three magic circles appeared below them and took them to Hel’s castle.

The palace was what you would expect from the land of the dead. It was dark and gloomy, a place where the living would hardly find it comfortable.

On the throne Hel sat, and next to her was Eir, Hel’s daugther. She was wearing a proper dress, since she seemed to lack ectoplasm. In fact, as an inhabitant of the Realm of the Dead, she looked very much like a living person. And the little girl didn’t look very happy at the sight of so many souls gathered at the center of the throne room.

Thrasir was standing next to Eir and on the other side of Hel Líf was still on his horse and bounded to the ground. His wisps weren’t with him. Instead, they too, would be raised as revenants.

 

“Now witness, First King of the holy kingdom.”

 

Hel rose from her throne and began to channel her magic. A purple aura began to surround all the wisps. They slowly began to take their human forms and then slowly their skeletons began to manifest, as a sign of a member of the realm of the Dead. However, before she could continue, Thrasir quickly broke Líf’s chains and removed the barrier from his mask, then the First Empress of Embla launched a powerful dark orb and the First King of Askr breathed his blue flames towards Hel. However, she quickly materialized her scythe and cut through their attacks.

 

“What is the meaning of this, General Thrasir?”

 

“I am sorry, Your Majesty. My magic slipped.”

 

“Are you going to betray me too?”

 

“Me? Betray you? Oh, no, you are mistaken. The First King of Askr and I never were with you from the very beginning.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Just what you heard. Or shall I repeat myself? The First King of Askr and I never were with you from the very beginning.”

 

“That’s impossible. Both of you were under my control. When did you broke free?”

 

“We never broke free. The gift of the Divine Dragons, Askr and Embla, protected us from your control. We managed to use your veil of darkess and death to conceal the gift and make it look that your powers purged it from us. We may have this form, but all the royal family of Embla belong to her, as well the royal family of Askr belong to him. No one, not even you, cannot take what what belongs to the Divine Dragons.”

 

“Then why neither of you attacked me. You could have point your weapons against me from the very beginning.”

 

“Askr and Embla were wary of your actions. So they ordered us from keep an eye on you. They gave us the freedom to attack whenever we wanted. Since now you are threatening Askr, it was only natural for us to make a reaction. And I haven’t forgotten the curse you placed in my bloodline. You manipulated Askr and Embla into war just to increase your army.”

 

“And what of it? Death comes for all, sooner or later. No one can change their inevitable fate.”

 

“I know. Everyone knows. But what you do, Hel, is to hasten it. Your wish for all the living to join you will be your end.”

 

“You are wrong. Death is eternal and my realm.”

 

“It seems that you lost the sight of your very being, or the lack of interaction with the living made you blind.”

 

“I have no wish for the living. They are weak, fragile and they are very fleeting. They will soon know the bliss of the Realm of the Dead.”

 

“So, in your eyes, if all life join you, then only death remains? I am afraid that it not the case. Death needs Life to exist, to know itself. There is no darkness without light, death without life, a winner without a loser. It’s a basic principle. If one of them is gone, the other loses its identity and ceases to exist. With Death absolute, the very concept of Life, its antithesis, will be forgotten in time, and everyone will lost its individuality.”

 

“That is because your human mind cannot imagine a world of absolute death. Your mind cannot grasp eternity, for you are mortal beings. I am impressed that you are unable to see now that you are revenant, eternal as I.”

 

“I see that no matter what I say. You will not open your eyes. Very well. I think it’s time for you to retire.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, General Thrasir. I am Death itself. I cannot die. And you know it well.”

 

“Yes. We are aware of that. But our intention is not to kill Death itself. We cannot destroy an abstract concept. What we are going to kill is Hel.”

 

“…What?”

 

“You heard me right. We are going to kill you not as Death itself, but as Hel, the Ruler of the Dead. Don’t you think it’s possible? Well, I guess there is a first time for everything.”

 

Unable to stand Thrasir’s cockiness, Hel charged at her, but Líf quickly parried her Scythe with Sökkvabekkr. When she saw Líf’s mouth about to breathe more flames, she backed off. The first king then sheathed his weapon and got off his steed.

 

“Do not underestimate me, General Líf.”

 

“Oh no, he isn’t. Trust me. But in this fight we are not going to use our weapon. But before we continue… I need you to step back.” She said to Eir who was holding her hand.

 

Reluctantly the princess stepped back and Thrasir created a powerful barrier magic around her.

 

“You wouldn’t want your own daughter to be trapped in the middle of our fight, wouldn’t you?”

 

“This won’t be a fight. It will simple be your end.”

 

“Right back at you, Hel. Now then… it’s time to make use of the True Gift, don’t you think, old friend?” The only way Líf could answer to Thrasir was to surround himself in fire. “Oh my, I see you are very eager to unleash your wrath. Very well. Let your people witness the True Gift of the Divine Dragon!”

 

Thrasir then surrounded herself with pure, crimson flames. Looking at both of them, Hel began to rose herself from the ground and waited in the middle of the throne room. However, Líf, while wreathed in his flames, charged towards her and dragged her outside her castle. Followed by Thrasir, the souls of Askr and his steed.

Outside the castle the place was desolated, with dead, naked trees and a perpetual dark gray sky that it was soon dotted by the flames of the First King of Askr and the First Empress of Embla and the souls of Askr, as witnesses of Hel’s downfall. The flames of the first rulers soon began to grow to considerable size, to the point that consumed completely their current bodies, only to be replaced by the body of a gargantuan dragon. However, they weren’t dragons made of flesh. Hel’s dark magic that rose them as revenants altered their dragon form as well. Both forms shared the exact characteristic as their revenant forms, their bodies were made of ectoplasm of their respective colors and their skeletons were visible. Thrasir looked completely fine, but Líf was missing his lower jaw, which explained why he never talked. But that didn’t stop him from growling and breathing fire, of course. And he began to release tons of them, engulfing the sky with his flames. However Hel just protected herself with her army of specters that surrounded her. Thrasir quickly flew towards her and with a single blow destroyed her defenses, leaving her exposed. Then she quickly breathed crimson fire, but Hel quickly formed a shield right in front of her. Líf flew behind her, where her shield did not protect her, and with a single blow he sent the Ruler of the Dead against the ground. Then, together with Thrasir they breathed fire. As the flames intertwined themselves, their respective light blue and red color soon took a purple flame and burned Hel. They looked down, waiting for the smoke to dissipate. A purple flash surged from there, charging towards the dragons, and they lost an arm. Hel was standing in front of them, but she wasn’t in the best conditions. Her body was cracking thanks of Líf’s heavy blow and most of her clothes were burned away.

 

“This isn’t over. I am Death. I cannot be denied.”

 

None of them reacted to the damage that has been done. They were already dead, they couldn’t feel pain.

Hel may cheated death once, it may been a miracle for her to survive the breath of a dragon, but there wasn’t a second chance. If it does, then it is no longer a miracle, but a possibility.

She opened huge portal from all sides, surrounding the dragons and an army of specters quickly came out from them. The first rulers of Askr and Embla shrouded themselves in flames and flew upwards before they could get completely swarmed. Once they were high enough, they dive at full speed, heading towards Hel. They were so close of each other that their flames turned purple and took the form of a great dragon, ready to engulf the dead. All of Hel’s army was quickly vaporized and she was the next. She wasn’t fast enough to dodge them and received a direct impact that shattered her completely.

 

“No… this can’t be… I can truly die…? If so, please, take care of my little girl…” This were her lasts words, before vanishing completely.

 

Líf and Thrasir, for the first time since they were raised as revenant, willingly accepted Hel’s orders, even if it wasn’t actually, since she implore them to take care of Eir.

It wasn’t over, however. Still in their dragon forms, they returned to Hel’s castle and Thrasir dissipated the barried that protected Eir. The fact they returned to the princess, she assumed that her mode was dead. She didn’t resist to whatever they were planning to do with her. Thrasir gently picked her and placed her on her head and together with Líf, surrounded by the souls of his people, left the Realm of the Dead, not before picking up his steed.

As they flew towards the capital, the people who witnessed the two dragons and the wisps flying over the skies of Askr weren’t sure if be scared or if be in awe by such a sight. One by one, the wisps returned to their respective bodies. Líf left his horse at the gates of the capital and then with Thrasir returned to their revenant forms once they landed in the courtyard with the souls of the royal family, the previous rulers of Askr and Eir behing them. Strangely they weren’t missing the arm that Hel sliced off. Probably was because what they suffered as dragons didn’t have consequences as revenant, but it did the other way, since Líf didn’t have a lower jaw.

Once they entered to the castle, the souls went to their respective bodies, and the first ruler of Askr and Embla and the princess of Hel waited for them. Eir wasn’t sure how to feel, she thought that they have taken her prisoner now that her kingdom lost their ruler.

 

“Um… What are you going to do with me?” Eir asked quietly.

 

“You are going to stay here.” Said Thrasir. “You’ll live with them until you are ready to rule Hel.”

 

“Why here, with them?”

 

“You need to live among the living, princess Eir. You have already taken the mantle of Death the moment your mother perished. But we can’t afford you to make the same mistakes she did. We need you to understand the living, so you can understand why balance is important. Don’t worry. This is not a punishment for your mother’s actions. In time you will feel the joy of the living.”

 

Eir wasn’t sure about that, but she didn’t have other options. When the Askr royal family and Zacharias went towards them, the children quickly ran towards Líf, who bent down to receive them. The three hugged him very tightly. He returned the hug, but then he gently pressed his forehead against Alfonse’s, then Sharena’s and then Zacharias’s. It was his way to show affection, or a kiss in the forehead, not that different of a cat’s way to show fondness. Once done, Thrasir was quick to interrupt the moment.

 

“Well, well, your ancestor is right here and the first thing you do is to hug the First King of Askr? Talk about betrayal.” Said Thrasir in a very sassy way.

 

Zacharias shrugged.

 

“I am joking, you dummy. I know, you haven’t spent any time with me, so is understandable.”

 

“If you are my ancestor, it means that you are my… grandmother?”

 

“How rude! Look at me! Do I look like an old lady to you?”

 

“I–I’m sorry!”

 

“At least they teach you some manners in Embla. That is good. Since you lost your mother, you can call ME mother, alright?”

 

“Y-yes, mother.”

 

“You need to relax, boy.”

 

Líf shrugged and Henriette chuckled.

 

“First King Líf… First Empress Thrasir… You have no idea how grateful I am for saving Askr and our very souls…” Said Gustav, before bowing down.

 

Given their actions, Henriette bowed too. Alfonse, Sharena and Zacharias looked at each other and the bowed too.

 

“You are welcome.” Said Thrasir. “And I have a favor to ask of you.”

 

“Ask whatever you want, First Empress. We owe you.”

 

“I want you to take care of Eir, princess of Hel. I want you to show her everything there is to know about Life. We don’t want her to become another Hel, don’t we?”

 

“Oh my… I was already a surprise to learn that Zacharias is a member of the Royal Family of Embla, and now we are taking princess of Hel?” Said Henriette. “Don’t you worry, First Empress, she is in good hands, right, darling?”

 

“We will have to move another bed to the children’s room…”

 

Henriette and the children, minus Eir, began to laugh. Then the queen kneeled in front of Eir and offered her hand.

 

“Nice to meet you, princess Eir. I am Henriette.”

 

Eir took her time to take the queen’s hands. But in the end she accepted her handshake. Everyone smiled at that small gesture.

 

“I have to ask, First Empress, about the gift of the Divine Dragons…”

 

“I know, I suppose you want some answers. As you know, the gift that he Divine Dragon Askr gave to King Líf was the power to open portals to other worlds, while the gift that the Divine Dragon Embla gave to me was the power to close said portals. That is what history tell. However, there is one effect that was completely omitted by us, out of fear that it would be misused. The power to transform into a divine dragon, as a servant of Askr and Embla. As all of you just witnessed, its destructive powers are quite dangerous and we didn’t even use its full power, thanks to Hel’s magic that turned us into revenants.”

 

“You mean THAT wasn’t a divine dragon’s full power? By Askr…” Said Gustav while shuddering.

 

“You see why we decided to omit that part of the gift, until now. However, once used, you lose the gift of the Divine Dragon. In life, we didn’t need to take dragon form, it wasn’t necessary for us, the moment never came, until now. You must understand that taking the form of a divine dragon must be used as a last resort, when nothing is possible through human power. Now that we have spent the gift, Líf and I are unable to open and close portals, but at least the current royal family is still able to do so. And I hope that the moment to use the true gift doesn’t come at any time soon.”

 

“I understand. Thank you for this information. I promise that this gift will never be misused.”

 

“Good, good. Since everyone in the capital witnessed our transformation, they know about the True Gift, but that doesn’t matter. As long as you don’t want to be parted with it, you can still be able to open portals. …Now then, I think it’s time for me to pay a little visit to my empire. I can’t blame the king for breaking their alliance. The curse that Hel placed in my bloodline drove them crazy, making them kill everything to fill her ranks. Now with her out of the map, the royal family of Embla is finally free…” Said Thrasir as she went to the courtyard, ready to leave. “Take care of my little boy, will you? Ah, and also, Líf, I’m taking your horse. One day make sure to get one for me. These are really cool.”

 

Líf shrugged. Not because she was taking his steed and she asked one for her, but because of the tone she was saying about “paying a little visit to her empire”. He knew that she was going to cause trouble, after all, he spent a good time with her in life, and long enough to know that women are not to be trifle with.

 

Naturally, Thrasir’s coming to the Embla Empire caused great commotion. Now that her bloodline was free con Hel’s curse, the emperor was quick to accept whatever fate the First Empress had in store for him. Nothing but a big slap on his face. After explaining everything, he decided to leave Bruno, in Askr’s hands. He though he didn’t deserve him after all that he suffered, and hoped that in the future he would forgive him. However, Bruno knew that it wasn’t his fault at all, since the curse forced him to do the things he did, and probably the prince already have forgiven him. Then, Thrasir took the emperor to Hel’s portal to close it, so no member of the dead would surface into the world of the living to cause trouble. Once Eir was old enough, Gustav or Alfonse would open it again, so she could finally succeed the throne.

However, even if things already settle down somehow, both realms still needed their time to let go their old rivalry. After all, its easier to provoke a wound than healing it.

Since the capital's citizens witnessed the first King's deeds alongside Thrasir, they welcomed them with open arms. However, Líf still didn’t show himself before them, and instead he preferred to watch over the royal family from the shadows, a place that the dead know very well. So did Thrasir, as she would constantly visit Askr to see how Bruno and Eir were doing while she was not watching over Veronica, Bruno’s little sister who was only some months old.

 

The First Rulers of Askr and Embla, and the former's wisps won't return to their Divine Dragons any time soon. Not while the Throne of the Dead lies empty. Until then, they would continue to watch over their descendants with a singular ferocity.

**Author's Note:**

> And so, here ends my imagination! Hope you liked how I managed the curse of he Embla Royal Family, which is probably a theory that most of you have after chapter 3 of book III, when Hel curses Alfonse to die in 9 days. 
> 
> I hope you also liked how i handled the part of "How are we going to stop or kill Hel", because I love that kind of thing that an abstract concept has a will and personality of its own and while it's imposible to kill it, it IS possible to kill the being that represents it, akin to an Aspect or Avatar. So yes, in my eyes, Hel is just an Aspect of Death and Eir takes her place the moment her mother dies. 
> 
> And also, if you don't like how I handled Hel, I am sorry. Since book 3 recently is in chapter 3, we didn't see very much of her personality and I had a hard time trying to writte her compared to Líf and Thrasir (I had so much fun writting her lol). For now, she pretty sounds very generic, such as how she is Death and it cannot be avoided and etc, etc, etc... I hope she gets more development through the course of the book 3, especially where in the trailer shows Eir turning agaisnt her.


End file.
